For open minds
The artist of Chinese artist Guodong Zhao is incredible. Based in Beijing, this talented illustrator takes photographs and paints on a layer of fantasy.
In Pure Spirit
Sad or surreal? It’s as these long Asian dragons should be majestic, proud and perhaps even a little menacing. By showing them, sometimes, ruined and wrecked against the sharp contrast of reality Zhao easily transforms them into being of sadness and despair.
Fan of Harry Potter and the spin-off Fantastic Beasts? Many of the monsters from the Potterverse are drawn from mythology, inspired by old folktales and stories.
Sykes Cottages have put together a collection of monster posters to follow on from the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Is the idea you’re supposed to go rent a holiday cottage near a monster area? Their blog has more details and we’ve the pictures below.
In Pure Spirit
Which is your favourite fantastic beast?
According to the Japanese news site Byoukan Sunday there is debate as to whether this is a strange discovery or a hoax.
The find is dated March 2013 and was apparently made by a Chinese fisherman. As the Japanese newspaper points out the bones are rather perfect for a washed up skeleton, though. Could they have been hand carved?
As a hoax it is still a remarkable piece of art.
In Pure Spirit
What do you think? Is this a hoax or do you think the Chinese really have their hands on a skeleton that belongs to a creature we’ve never seen before?
Or is there a third option? Is this a partial skeleton of a more common creature? A whale, for example.
Do you live near Warwick in England? Warwick castle has a vacancy for a consulting Dragonologist and has a job post on Monster.co.uk to help find the right person for the role.
The castle will be launcing a new attraction in April called “Merin: The Dragon Tower” and the researcher/consultant is needed to ensure that all the elements of the attraction “reach the required level of authenticty”. The Dragonologist will be required to train Warwick castle staff on the real of dragonology and respond to any questions from the public.
The job post goes on to say that the succesful candidate should be able to demonstrate extensive knowledge of dragon summoning, dragon powers and dragon riddles. On a more challenging note the ideal candidate may well like to hold a BA (Hons) degree in Mythology and Folklore. The salary is competitive (dependent on experience) and perks include free entry to the castle. It’s not known whether life insurance is included.
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Sound like a job you could handle? Perhaps someone you know might be interested? You’ll have to rush as the application process closes on Friday.
Photo credit: Myddrr, Creative Commons. Photo of Margham, not Warwick Castle (which doesn’t have it’s dragon… yet).
